阅读说明：本技术 用于保护行人的装置及其控制方法 (Apparatus for protecting pedestrian and control method thereof ) 是由 朴炳赫 于 2021-05-08 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供了一种用于保护行人的装置及其控制方法。该用于保护行人的装置包括：前方对象检测单元,被配置为检测车辆前方的对象；碰撞检测单元,被配置为检测所述车辆的碰撞；保护模块驱动单元,被配置为当行人与所述车辆碰撞时驱动用于保护所述行人的保护模块；以及控制单元,被配置为：基于所述前方对象检测单元的检测结果将所述前方对象确定为引擎罩上升目标,基于所述碰撞检测单元的检测结果将所述碰撞确定为引擎罩上升目标碰撞,并且在所述引擎罩上升目标的引擎罩上升目标碰撞的情况下操作所述保护模块驱动单元。(An apparatus for protecting a pedestrian and a control method thereof are provided. The device for protecting pedestrians includes: a front object detection unit configured to detect an object in front of the vehicle; a collision detection unit configured to detect a collision of the vehicle; a protection module driving unit configured to drive a protection module for protecting a pedestrian when the pedestrian collides with the vehicle; and a control unit configured to: the front object is determined as a hood-up target based on the detection result of the front object detection unit, the collision is determined as a hood-up target collision based on the detection result of the collision detection unit, and the protection module driving unit is operated in the event of a hood-up target collision of the hood-up target.)

1. An apparatus for pedestrian protection, the apparatus comprising:

a front object detection unit configured to detect an object in front of the vehicle;

a collision detection unit configured to detect a collision of the vehicle;

a protection module driving unit configured to drive a protection module for protecting a pedestrian when the pedestrian collides with the vehicle; and

a control unit configured to: the front object is determined as a hood-up target based on the detection result of the front object detection unit, the collision is determined as a hood-up target collision based on the detection result of the collision detection unit, and the protection module driving unit is operated in the event of a hood-up target collision of the hood-up target.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the front object detection unit comprises a far infrared thermal imaging camera.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit compensates an outside air temperature for an infrared ray intensity of the front object input from the far-infrared thermal imaging camera, and determines the front object as the hood elevation target when an integrated value obtained by integrating the infrared ray intensity is greater than or equal to a set intensity.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the collision detecting unit includes magnetic field sensors installed at the center, left side and right side of the front bumper, respectively, to detect changes in magnetic fields according to deformation of the bumper cover due to the collision, respectively.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control unit calculates a rigidity and a mass of a collision object by reflecting a vehicle speed based on a current change amount and a current amount change pattern input from the magnetic field sensor, and determines the collision as the hood ascending target collision when the collision object is a pedestrian based on the rigidity and the mass.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control unit identifies the collision object as a pedestrian when the rigidity of the collision object is included in a set range and the mass of the collision object is greater than or equal to a set value.

7. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control unit determines whether collision objects are pedestrians with respect to the magnetic field sensors installed at the center, left side, and right side of the front bumper, respectively, and determines a collision as the hood ascending target collision when any one of the collision objects is a pedestrian.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines whether the collision is the hood ascending target collision when it is determined that the front object is the hood ascending target collision, and operates the protection module driving unit when it is determined that the collision is the hood ascending target collision.

9. A control method of an apparatus for protecting pedestrians, the control method comprising the steps of:

determining, by the control unit, a hood up-target based on a detection result of the front object detecting unit;

determining, by the control unit, a hood ascending target collision based on a detection result of the collision detection unit; and

operating a protection module driving unit by the control unit when a front object is a hood ascending target and a collision is the hood ascending target collision.

10. The control method according to claim 9, wherein the step of determining the hood ascent target includes the steps of:

compensating, by the control unit, an outside air temperature for an infrared ray intensity of the front object input from a far-infrared thermal imaging camera serving as the front object detection unit, and comparing an integrated value obtained by integrating the infrared ray intensity with a set intensity to identify a pedestrian target; and

determining, by the control unit, the pedestrian target as the hood up-target when the control unit recognizes the pedestrian target and the integrated value is greater than or equal to the set intensity.

11. The control method according to claim 9, wherein the step of determining the hood ascending target collision includes the steps of:

calculating, by the control unit, a stiffness and a mass of an impact object by reflecting a vehicle speed based on a current change amount and a current amount change pattern input from a magnetic field sensor as the impact detection unit, and recognizing a pedestrian impact based on the stiffness and the mass; and

determining, by the control unit, the pedestrian collision as the hood ascending target collision when the control unit recognizes the pedestrian collision and the collision object is a pedestrian.

12. The control method according to claim 11, wherein in the step of identifying the pedestrian collision, the control unit determines the collision as the pedestrian collision when the rigidity of the collision object is included in a set range and the mass of the collision object is greater than or equal to a set value.

13. A control method of an apparatus for protecting pedestrians, the control method comprising the steps of:

determining, by the control unit, a hood up-target based on a detection result of the front object detecting unit;

determining, by the control unit, a hood ascending target collision based on a detection result of the collision detection unit in the case of the hood ascending target; and

operating a protection module driving unit by the control unit in the event of collision of the hood elevating target.

14. The control method according to claim 13, wherein the step of determining the hood ascent target includes the steps of:

compensating, by the control unit, an outside air temperature for an infrared ray intensity of the front object input from a far-infrared thermal imaging camera serving as the front object detection unit, and comparing an integrated value obtained by integrating the infrared ray intensity with a set intensity to identify a pedestrian target; and

determining, by the control unit, the pedestrian target as the hood up-target when the control unit recognizes the pedestrian target and the integrated value is greater than or equal to the set intensity.

15. The control method according to claim 13, wherein the step of determining the hood ascending target collision includes the steps of:

calculating, by the control unit, a stiffness and a mass of an impact object by reflecting a vehicle speed based on a current change amount and a current amount change pattern input from a magnetic field sensor as the impact detection unit, and recognizing a pedestrian impact based on the stiffness and the mass; and

determining, by the control unit, the pedestrian collision as the hood ascending target collision when the control unit recognizes the pedestrian collision and the collision object is a pedestrian.

16. The control method according to claim 15, wherein in the step of identifying the pedestrian collision, the control unit determines the collision as the pedestrian collision when the rigidity of the collision object is included in a set range and the mass of the collision object is greater than or equal to a set value.

Technical Field

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus for protecting a pedestrian and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to an apparatus for protecting a pedestrian and a control method thereof, which recognize a pedestrian in front of a vehicle through an active sensor to determine whether the pedestrian is a hood lift target (hood lift target), detect a collision occurring in the vehicle through a passive sensor, determine whether the detected collision is a hood lift target collision (hood lift target collision), and drive a protection module only when the detected collision is a hood lift target collision.

Background

In korea, according to pedestrian collision safety regulations, when a vehicle collides with a pedestrian and thus a secondary collision occurs in which the head of the pedestrian collides with a hood of the vehicle, a pedestrian head injury value (HTC) is adjusted and different structural collision characteristics are required according to each head model of adults and children.

The most important factor in such a collision characteristic is that a head damage value (HTC) needs to have an overall uniform value of 1,000 or less for the overall area, and the maximum deformation amount needs to be minimized in a collision case in consideration of a packing state in an engine room.

Therefore, in designing the vehicle hood, in addition to the rigidity substantially required for the vehicle characteristics, design aspects for aesthetic appearance, a shock absorbing function for coping with pedestrian collision, and the like are considered.

Meanwhile, with the development of vehicles, various convenience norms are being developed. In particular, in the case of an accident such as a collision, there is an increasing interest in the safety of vehicles for protecting passengers. Accordingly, a safety system has been developed to improve the safety of passengers by a preventive measure before a vehicle collision.

Recently, attention has been paid not only to the safety of a driver driving a vehicle but also to the safety of a pedestrian colliding with the vehicle without any protection device.

In particular, a pedestrian protection system is a device that identifies pedestrians around a vehicle and protects the pedestrians in the event of a collision.

A pedestrian protection system in the related art protects a pedestrian colliding with a vehicle by recognizing a pedestrian and an object using information from passive sensors such as an acceleration sensor, a pressure sensor, and an optical fiber sensor, and controlling a hood lifter (an airbag, a restraint device, etc.) in the event of a collision.

Background art of the present disclosure is disclosed in korean patent application laid-open No. 10-2008-0101483 (published 11/21 in 2008 entitled "system and control method for protecting pedestrians and automobiles").

Disclosure of Invention

Such a pedestrian protection system has the following problems: due to the characteristics of the physical quantities (acceleration, pressure, etc.) detected by the passive sensors, it is difficult to distinguish pedestrians from larger animals such as roe deer and some objects (trees, telephone poles, etc.) having rigidity and weight similar to those of pedestrians, and therefore, the hood lifter (airbag, etc.) operates abnormally even in the event of a collision with a specific object other than a pedestrian.

Various embodiments are directed to an apparatus for protecting a pedestrian and a control method thereof, which recognize a pedestrian in front of a vehicle by an active sensor to determine whether the pedestrian is a hood up target, detect a collision occurring in the vehicle by a passive sensor, determine whether the detected collision is a hood up target collision, and drive a protection module only when the detected collision is a hood up target collision.

A device for protecting a pedestrian according to an aspect of the present disclosure may include: a front object detection unit configured to detect an object in front of the vehicle; a collision detection unit configured to detect a collision of the vehicle; a protection module driving unit configured to drive a protection module for protecting a pedestrian when the pedestrian collides with the vehicle; and a control unit configured to: the front object is determined as a hood-up target based on the detection result of the front object detection unit, the collision is determined as a hood-up target collision based on the detection result of the collision detection unit, and the protection module driving unit is operated in the event of a hood-up target collision of the hood-up target.

In the present disclosure, the front object detection unit may include an FIR thermal imaging camera.

In the present disclosure, the control unit may compensate for an outside air temperature with respect to an infrared ray intensity of the front object input from the FIR thermal imaging camera, and determine the front object as the hood up-target when an integrated value obtained by integrating the infrared ray intensity is greater than or equal to a set intensity.

In the present disclosure, the collision detecting unit may include magnetic field sensors installed at the center, left side, and right side of the front bumper, respectively, to detect changes in magnetic fields according to deformation of the bumper cover due to a collision, respectively.

In the present disclosure, the control unit may calculate the rigidity and mass of the collision object by reflecting the vehicle speed based on the current change amount and the current amount change pattern input from the magnetic field sensor, and determine the collision as the hood up-target collision when the collision object is a pedestrian based on the rigidity and mass.

In the present disclosure, the control unit may identify the collision object as a pedestrian when the rigidity of the collision object is included in a set range and the mass of the collision object is greater than or equal to a set value.

In the present disclosure, the control unit may determine whether collision objects are pedestrians with respect to the magnetic field sensors installed at the center, the left side, and the right side of the front bumper, respectively, and when any one of the collision objects is a pedestrian, the control unit determines a collision as the hood up-target collision.

In the present disclosure, when it is determined that the front object is the hood ascending target, the control unit may determine whether the collision is the hood ascending target collision, and when it is determined that the collision is the hood ascending target collision, the control unit may operate the protection module driving unit.

A control method of an apparatus for protecting pedestrians according to another aspect of the present disclosure may include the steps of: determining, by the control unit, a hood up-target based on a detection result of the front object detecting unit; determining, by the control unit, a hood ascending target collision based on a detection result of the collision detection unit; and operating, by the control unit, a protection module driving unit when the subject object is a hood ascending target and the collision is the hood ascending target collision.

In the present disclosure, the step of determining the hood lift target may include the steps of: compensating, by the control unit, an outside air temperature for an infrared ray intensity of the front object input from an FIR thermal imaging camera serving as the front object detection unit, and comparing an integrated value obtained by integrating the infrared ray intensity with a set intensity to identify a pedestrian target; and determining, by the control unit, the pedestrian target as the hood up target when the control unit recognizes the pedestrian target and the integrated value is greater than or equal to the set intensity.

In the present disclosure, the step of determining the hood ascending target collision may include the steps of: calculating, by the control unit, a stiffness and a mass of an impact object by reflecting a vehicle speed based on a current change amount and a current amount change pattern input from a magnetic field sensor as the impact detection unit, and recognizing a pedestrian impact based on the stiffness and the mass; and determining, by the control unit, the pedestrian collision as the hood ascending target collision when the control unit recognizes the pedestrian collision and the collision object is a pedestrian.

In the present disclosure, in the step of identifying a pedestrian collision, when the rigidity of the collision object is included in a set range and the mass of the collision object is greater than or equal to a set value, the control unit determines the collision as the pedestrian collision.

A control method of an apparatus for protecting pedestrians according to still another aspect of the present disclosure may include the steps of: determining, by the control unit, a hood up-target based on a detection result of the front object detecting unit; determining, by the control unit, a hood ascending target collision based on a detection result of the collision detection unit in the case of the hood ascending target; and operating a protection module driving unit by the control unit in the event of collision of the hood elevating target.

In the present disclosure, the step of determining the hood lift target may include the steps of: compensating, by the control unit, an outside air temperature for an infrared ray intensity of the front object input from an FIR thermal imaging camera serving as the front object detection unit, and comparing an integrated value obtained by integrating the infrared ray intensity with a set intensity to identify a pedestrian target; and determining, by the control unit, the pedestrian target as the hood up target when the control unit recognizes the pedestrian target and the integrated value is greater than or equal to the set intensity.

In the present disclosure, the step of determining the hood ascending target collision may include the steps of: calculating, by the control unit, a stiffness and a mass of an impact object by reflecting a vehicle speed based on a current change amount and a current amount change pattern input from a magnetic field sensor as the impact detection unit, and recognizing a pedestrian impact based on the stiffness and the mass; and determining, by the control unit, the pedestrian collision as the hood ascending target collision when the control unit recognizes the pedestrian collision and the collision object is a pedestrian.

In the present disclosure, in the step of identifying a pedestrian collision, when the rigidity of the collision object is included in a set range and the mass of the collision object is greater than or equal to a set value, the control unit determines the collision as the pedestrian collision.

The apparatus for protecting a pedestrian and the control method thereof according to an aspect of the present disclosure recognize a pedestrian in front of a vehicle through an active sensor to determine whether the pedestrian is a hood up target, detect a collision occurring with the vehicle through a passive sensor, determine whether the detected collision is a hood up target collision, and drive a protection module only when the detected collision is a hood up target collision, and thus, the present invention can substantially prevent malfunction of the apparatus, and can reduce costs caused by the malfunction.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an apparatus for protecting a pedestrian according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an impact object according to stiffness and weight for determining a pedestrian in the apparatus for protecting a pedestrian according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a pedestrian protection method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a pedestrian protection method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Some example embodiments may be illustrated in the figures as functional blocks, units and/or modules, as is conventional in the corresponding art. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the blocks, units, and/or modules are physically implemented by electronic (or optical) circuitry, such as logic circuitry, discrete components, processors, hardwired circuitry, memory elements, wired connections, and so forth. When the blocks, units, and/or modules are implemented by a processor or similar hardware, they may be programmed and controlled using software (e.g., code) to perform the various functions discussed herein. Alternatively, each block, unit and/or module may be implemented by dedicated hardware or as a combination of dedicated hardware to perform some functions and a processor (e.g., one or more programmed processors and associated circuitry) to perform other functions. Each block, unit and/or module of some example embodiments may be physically separated into two or more interacting and discrete blocks, units and/or modules without departing from the scope of the present inventive concept. Furthermore, the blocks, units and/or modules of some example embodiments may be physically combined into more complex blocks, units and/or modules without departing from the scope of the inventive concept.

Hereinafter, an apparatus for protecting a pedestrian and a control method thereof according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this process, the thickness of the lines or the size of the elements shown in the drawings may be exaggerated for the purpose of clarity and convenience of explanation. Further, terms described later are terms defined in consideration of functions in the present disclosure, and may be changed according to the intention or practice of a user or an operator. Therefore, these terms should be defined based on the disclosure in the present specification.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an apparatus for protecting a pedestrian according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and fig. 2 is an exemplary diagram showing an impact object according to rigidity and weight for determining a pedestrian in the apparatus for protecting a pedestrian according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 1, the apparatus for protecting a pedestrian according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may include a front object detection unit 10, a collision detection unit 20, a vehicle speed detection unit 30, a protection module driving unit 50, and a control unit 40.

The front object detection unit 10 is an active sensor that detects an object in front of the vehicle, and may include a Far Infrared (FIR) thermal imaging camera.

Thus, the front object detection unit 10 may detect infrared rays generated from a front object and supply the detected infrared rays to the control unit 40.

The collision detecting unit 20 is a passive sensor that detects a collision of the vehicle, and may include magnetic field sensors mounted at the center, left side, and right side of the front bumper, respectively, to detect a magnetic field variation according to a bumper cover deformation caused by the collision.

Therefore, when a collision occurs with the vehicle, the collision detecting unit 20 can detect a change in the magnetic field caused by the collision object, and supply the detected change to the control unit 40 as the amount of current.

The module protection driving unit 50 may drive a module protection for protecting a pedestrian when the pedestrian collides with the vehicle.

The protection module may include at least one of a hood lifter and a pedestrian airbag.

The vehicle speed detecting unit 30 detects the vehicle speed of the vehicle and provides the detected vehicle speed to the control unit 40, so that the control unit 40 calculates the rigidity and mass of the collision object by reflecting the vehicle speed.

The control unit 40 may determine the front object as the hood ascending target based on the detection result of the front object detection unit 10, determine the collision as the hood ascending target collision based on the detection result of the collision detection unit 20, and operate the protection module driving unit 50 in the case where the hood ascending target of the hood ascending target collides.

Here, the control unit 40 may compensate the outside air temperature for the infrared ray intensity of the front object input from the FIR thermal imaging camera serving as the front object detection unit 10, and determine the front object as the hood up target when the integrated value obtained by integrating the infrared ray intensity is greater than or equal to the set intensity.

In this case, the control unit 40 may check whether the front object is a living being or an abiotic object, and then check whether the living being is an adult or a child when the front object is a living being.

However, in the present disclosure, the hood up-lift is targeted for adult pedestrians, and the infrared intensity of adults is greater than that of abiotic or pediatric ones. Therefore, when the integrated value obtained by integrating the intensity of infrared rays radiated from the front object is greater than or equal to the set intensity for determining adult pedestrians, the control unit 40 may determine the front object as the hood elevation target.

In addition, the control unit 40 may also calculate the rigidity and mass of the collision object by reflecting the vehicle speed based on the current amount change pattern and the amount of current change input from the magnetic field sensor as the collision detection unit 20, and determine the collision as a hood-up target collision based on the rigidity and mass when the collision object is an adult.

When the vehicle collides with the collision object, the bumper cover deforms, and the amount of current from the magnetic field sensor varies according to the mass of the collision object and also varies according to the rigidity of the collision object, thereby causing current oscillation.

Thus, the control unit 40 may calculate the mass of the collision object based on the amount of current change, calculate the rigidity of the collision object based on a pattern obtained by counting the change in the amount of current, and identify the collision object as an adult pedestrian when the rigidity of the collision object is included in the set range and the mass thereof is greater than or equal to the set value, as shown in fig. 2.

Here, the control unit 40 may determine whether the collision objects are adult pedestrians with respect to the magnetic field sensors installed at the center, the left side, and the right side of the front bumper, respectively, and determine the collision as a hood up-target collision when any one of the collision objects is an adult pedestrian.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the front object is the hood ascending target, the control unit 40 may determine whether the collision is a hood ascending target collision, and operate the protection module driving unit when it is determined that the collision is the hood ascending target collision. That is, the control unit 40 may determine whether the front object is a hood ascending target and determine whether the collision is a hood ascending target collision, and then operate the protection module driving unit 50.

As described above, the device for protecting a pedestrian according to the embodiment of the present disclosure recognizes a pedestrian in front of a vehicle by an active sensor to determine whether the pedestrian is a hood-up target, detects a collision occurring in the vehicle by a passive sensor, determines whether the detected collision is a hood-up target collision, and drives a protection module only when the detected collision is a hood-up target collision, and thus, malfunction of the device can be substantially prevented, and costs caused by the malfunction can be reduced.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a pedestrian protection method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 3, in the control method of the apparatus for protecting a pedestrian according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, first, the control unit 40 receives the detection result from the FIR thermal imaging camera serving as the front object detection unit 10 (S10).

After receiving the detection result from the FIR thermal imaging camera in step S10, the control unit 40 identifies a pedestrian target (S20).

In step S20, the control unit 40 compensates the outside air temperature for the input infrared ray intensity of the front object, compares the integrated value obtained by integrating the infrared ray intensity with the set intensity, and thereby recognizes a pedestrian target.

In the present embodiment, the pedestrian is targeted to an adult pedestrian, and the infrared ray intensity of the adult pedestrian is greater than that of a non-living being or a child. Thus, the control unit 40 may compare an integrated value obtained by integrating the intensity of infrared rays radiated from a front object with a set intensity for determining an adult pedestrian, and recognize a pedestrian target.

Based on the result of identifying the pedestrian object in step S20, the control unit 40 determines whether the pedestrian object is a hood up object (S30).

When the pedestrian object is identified as an adult in step S30, the control unit 40 may determine that the pedestrian object is a hood up target.

On the other hand, the control unit 40 performs a process of determining the hood up-target, and simultaneously receives the vehicle speed and the collision detection result from the vehicle speed detection unit 30 and the magnetic field sensor serving as the collision detection unit 20, respectively (S40).

Upon receiving the collision detection result from the magnetic field sensor in step S40, the control unit 40 identifies a pedestrian collision as a collision detection result based on the current amount of change and the current amount of change pattern (S50).

Here, the control unit 40 may calculate the stiffness and mass of the collision object by reflecting the vehicle speed based on the current amount change pattern and the current change amount input from the magnetic field sensor as the collision detection unit 20, and recognize whether the collision is a pedestrian collision based on the stiffness and mass.

When a vehicle collides with an impact object, the bumper cover deforms, and the amount of current from the magnetic field sensor varies according to the mass of the impact object and also varies according to the rigidity of the impact object, resulting in current oscillation.

Thus, as shown in fig. 2, the control unit 40 may calculate the mass of the collision object based on the amount of current change, calculate the rigidity of the collision object based on a pattern obtained by counting the change in the amount of current, and identify the collision object as an adult pedestrian when the rigidity of the collision object is included in a set range and the mass thereof is greater than or equal to a set value.

Based on the result of the pedestrian collision being recognized in step S50, the control unit 40 determines whether the pedestrian collision is a hood-up target collision (S60).

When it is determined in step S60 that the pedestrian collision is a hood-up target collision, the control unit 40 may determine the pedestrian collision as a hood-up target collision.

Here, the control unit 40 may recognize whether the collision object is an adult pedestrian independently with respect to the magnetic field sensors installed at the center, left side, and right side of the front bumper, and determine the pedestrian collision as the hood up-target collision when any one of the collision objects is an adult pedestrian.

Based on the result of determining whether the pedestrian object is the hood-up target in step S30 and the result of determining whether the pedestrian collision is the hood-up target collision in step S60, the control unit 40 determines whether the collision is the hood-up target collision (S70).

When it is determined in step S70 that the hood ascending target collision is the hood ascending target collision, the control unit 40 drives the protection module driving unit 50 (S80).

Fig. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a pedestrian protection method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 4, in the control method of the apparatus for protecting a pedestrian according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, first, the control unit 40 receives a detection result from the FIR thermal imaging camera serving as the front object detecting unit 10 (S110).

After receiving the detection result from the FIR thermal imaging camera in step S110, the control unit 40 identifies a pedestrian target (S120).

In step S120, the control unit 40 may compensate the outside air temperature for the input infrared ray intensity of the front object, and compare an integrated value obtained by integrating the infrared ray intensity with a set intensity to identify a pedestrian target.

In the present embodiment, the pedestrian is targeted to an adult pedestrian and the infrared intensity of the adult pedestrian is greater than that of a non-living being or a child. Thus, the control unit 40 may compare an integrated value obtained by integrating the intensity of infrared rays radiated from a front object with a set intensity for determining an adult pedestrian, and recognize a pedestrian target.

Based on the result of identifying the pedestrian target in step S120, the control unit 40 determines whether the pedestrian target is a hood up target (S130).

When it is determined in step S130 that the pedestrian target is an adult, the control unit 40 may determine that the pedestrian target is a hood up target.

When it is determined in step S130 that the pedestrian target is the hood up target, the control unit 40 receives the vehicle speed and the collision detection result from the vehicle speed detection unit 30 and the magnetic field sensor as the collision detection unit 20, respectively (S140).

The control unit 40, upon receiving the collision detection result from the magnetic field sensor in step S140, recognizes a pedestrian collision based on the current amount of change and the current amount change pattern as the collision detection result (S150).

Here, the control unit 40 may calculate the stiffness and mass of the collision object by reflecting the vehicle speed based on the current amount change pattern and the current change amount input from the magnetic field sensor as the collision detection unit 20, and recognize whether the collision is a pedestrian collision based on the stiffness and mass.

When the vehicle collides with the collision object, the bumper cover deforms, and the amount of current from the magnetic field sensor varies according to the mass of the collision object and also varies according to the rigidity of the collision object, thereby causing current oscillation.

Thus, as shown in fig. 2, the control unit 40 may calculate the mass of the collision object based on the amount of current change, calculate the stiffness of the collision object based on a pattern obtained by counting the change in the amount of current, and identify the collision object as an adult pedestrian when the stiffness of the collision object is included in a set range and the mass of the collision object is greater than or equal to a set value.

Based on the result of the recognition of the pedestrian collision in step S150, the control unit 40 determines whether the pedestrian collision is a hood-up target collision (S160).

When it is determined in step S160 that the pedestrian collision is a hood-up target collision, the control unit 40 may determine the pedestrian collision as a hood-up target collision.

Here, the control unit 40 may recognize whether the collision objects are adult pedestrians, respectively, with respect to the magnetic field sensors installed at the center, left side, and right side of the front bumper, and determine that the pedestrian collision is a hood-up target collision when any one of the collision objects is an adult pedestrian.

When it is determined in step S160 that the pedestrian collision is a hood-up target collision, the control unit 40 drives the protection module driving unit 50 (S170).

As described above, the control method of the apparatus for protecting a pedestrian according to the embodiment of the present disclosure recognizes a pedestrian in front of a vehicle through an active sensor to determine whether the pedestrian is a hood up target, detects a collision occurring at the vehicle through a passive sensor, determines whether the detected collision is a hood up target collision, and drives a protection module only when the detected collision is a hood up target collision, and thus, it is possible to substantially prevent malfunction of the apparatus and reduce costs caused by the malfunction.

Implementations described in this specification may be implemented, for example, as a method or process, an apparatus, a software program, a data stream, or a signal. Although discussed in the context of only a single form of implementation (e.g., discussed only as a method), the features discussed may also be implemented in other forms (e.g., an apparatus or program). The apparatus may be implemented in appropriate hardware, software, firmware, etc. The method may be implemented in an apparatus such as a processor, which refers generally to a processing device including a computer, microprocessor, integrated circuit, or programmable logic device. Processors include communication devices such as computers, cellular telephones, portable/Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and other devices that facilitate the communication of information between end-users.

Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, the embodiments of the present disclosure are for illustrative purposes only, and it is to be understood that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible to those skilled in the art.

Therefore, the true technical scope of the present disclosure should be defined by the following claims.